United Methodist Communities Ramp Up Safety and Security
Larry Carlson
President & CEO - United Methodist Communities
THE CHALLENGE
Ensure the identification and tracking of visitors to all United Methodist Communities buildings.
THE OUTCOME
Accushield’s touchless kiosks created an organization-wide system that logs and tracks all visitors, third-party caregivers, volunteers, and vendors who enter the buildings.
THE IMPACT
Staff and residents at United Methodist Communities have the peace of mind of knowing that their safety and security is a priority for the organization.
In September of 2018, Larry Carlson, president and CEO of Neptune, N.J.-based United Methodist Communities (UMC), was in search of a process that would improve the safety and security of residents and visitors. “I wanted a system that tracks visitors coming into the buildings,” says Carlson. “We wanted a paperless solution that would help us identify all of the people showing up at our front doors—families, friends, vendors, contractors, outside medical staff, and volunteers.”
Objective Met
Enter Accushield’s tablet-based kiosk. Installed in all UMC communities, the paperless, touch-free sign-in and sign-out system was just what he was looking for.
“Accushield has enabled us to create real-time resident and visitor lists for use during emergency drills as well as actual emergencies,” says Carlson.
“It also helps us keep track of people coming into the building, and because we also have the badge printing option, our staff are able to easily identify anyone who doesn’t have one and ask about why they are in the building.”
In addition, UMC’s administrators now have a precise log of all visitors to their buildings that they can access at any time. “These lists are imperative if a resident were to go missing or if there was a need to evacuate a building,” Carlson notes.
Happy Families, Happy Residents
Both residents and families appreciate the safety and security that Accushield brings, Carlson reports, because they know all visitors entering the communities are logged. “Accushield has been a great product. It’s one of those things that just makes so much sense. Why wouldn’t you do this. We are a big fan!”
Carlson discovered another benefit of the Accushield system: its Love Meter feature. The Love Meter is a data point pulled from the community visitor history that gives management the ability to see the least visited residents in the building. “Accushield enables us to very easily identify how often our residents are visited by family and friends. I don’t know how many days it would take to find this out if we had to go through a closet full of binders,” he says. “Now, it spits it out in seconds.”
AT A GLANCE
Challenges
- Community security
- Knowing who is in buildings at all times
- Safety-first perception
Benefits
- Cost savings
- Resident and family satisfaction
- Peace of mind
“Accushield enables us to very easily identify how often our residents are visited by family and friends. I don’t know how many days it would take to find this out if we had to go through a closet full of binders. Now, it spits it out in seconds.”